Halloween will be different this year, but Portlanders are finding creative and safe ways to celebrate! Celebrate with some of these spooky and not-so-spooky ideas.
Pick out the perfect pumpkin at one of these pumpkin patches.
Try a healthy Halloween-inspired treat.
Listen to a spooky episode of a kids’ podcast.
Or tune in for an Evenings with Poe storytime. The Aloha Community Library is posting YouTube videos of library staff reading their favorite tales by master of horror Edgar Allen Poe. Recommended for ages 10+.
Plan a Halloween scavenger hunt. You can repurpose those plastic Easter eggs and hide candy around your home or backyard, or look for seasonal items in your neighborhood. Try a scavenger hunt by flashlight for more ambience. Our Pinterest board has some fun ideas.
Remember that pumpkin you bought? Time to carve it. Pro tip: Roast all the pumpkin seeds you dig out for a super-tasty snack. Check out our Pinterest board for pumpkin decorating and carving ideas.
Head to St. Helens’ Spirit of Halloweentown for spooky family-friendly fun. This year tickets are required on weekends to allow for social distancing.
Take a walk around the neighborhood at dusk and pick your favorite Halloween-decor house.
Don’t forget to decorate your own house!
Check out a spookyish book perfect for Halloween.
Watch one of these new Halloween movies and shows coming to Netflix.
Try a contact-less drive-thru haunted house experience at Oaks Park. Most of the shows seem too scary for kids, but there are a few matinee, family-friendly shows that might work for older kids. (Check the website for scare ratings of the different shows.)
Climb aboard the Boo Train. Flower Farmer in Canby offers a spooky evening ride on their miniature train on select dates in October.
Build a haunted house. A gingerbread house, that is. The Food Network has a recipe, directions and inspiration for this cute and creepy creation. (Trader Joe’s also has a popular kit version.)
Peek at a miniature haunted house. Bunny with a Toolbelt has created a haunted dollhouse in their Window of Wonders on NE Alberta. Open all day and free for a Halloween version of “I Spy.”
Go old school with a drive-in. Tualatin Hills Park & Recreation District is showing Hotel Translyvania at the Hazeldale Dog Park on Saturday, October 17. Pre-registration required; limited capacity.
Party at the Boo Bash Festival at the Hands On Children’s Museum in Olympia, Washington. Online timed reservations required for the festival running October 23 through November 1.
Hit up a virtual Halloween party. My Gym Happy Valley is hosting a special one-hour event where kids will spend time together on Zoom enjoying games, puppet shows, story time, and more with their favorite teachers. Friday, October 30.
Head to free Boo-K Day at Maggie Mae’s Kids Bookshop in Gresham on October 31. Go trick-or-treating in your costume during store hours for some treats and a free boo-k while supplies last!
Trick or treat on Saturday, October 31 at Frog Pond Farm in Wilsonville, Gresham Station or Bethany Village Centre. If you head out, follow social distancing best practices!
Show off those costumes. Set up a friends or family Zoom call so your kiddos can wear their getups and share how excited they are about their costumes — with someone else! Win-win!